There has been a long way to go, and I'm not just referring to the long gestation of Detroit: Become Human, but also to the path started by Quantic Dream almost twenty years ago with Omikron: The Nomad Soul. A decidedly large slice of time that has seen technology shape and revolutionize itself, as well as the desires of gamers. The philosophy behind the titles of the eclectic David Cage it is very peculiar, favoring the script and the experience itself to the detriment of the playful component, which is less marked. The premises and expectations that have accompanied in recent years Detroit: Become Human they have important data at the base, such as the ten years of writing behind the script, but also the various statements of the developers on how the title manages to reach a level of possibility and consequences never seen before in an adventure. The biggest question that has arisen during this period concerns the errors of the past and their possible correction: there is no doubt that the aforementioned playful component is often in the background, but this too needs innovation, having to satisfy not only the soul of the player. Will they have succeeded? Immediately removing the chestnuts from the heat, the answer is yes. Certainly don't expect pure frenzy like in shooters, but don't expect the flatness of interaction typical of visual novels, for example. Detroit: Become Human is by far the best adventure of its kind that has ever been released.
Detroit: Android City
As is now known, the plot takes place in a futuristic Detroit, with the events taking place in November 2038, under the rule of a female president. After being one of the symbolic cities of the American automotive industry in the modern era, the decisive evolutionary step, not by chance, was taken in the city of Michigan. The greatest invention in the history of mankind dates back to ten years earlier, with the discovery of a new synthesizable material, used by Cyberlife to build "biocomponents" and to create Androids: machines with human features programmed to carry out orders of all kinds. One of the most fascinating components of the title is undoubtedly the historical background that has been built behind it, which with its events will accompany us for the duration of the game: clearly with such an important resource on the plate, it is impossible to avoid friction between the most powerful nations in the world - in this case the United States and Russia - in the contention of the territories rich in minerals to create the Thirium, first of all the North Pole. This resource would be the tip of the balance capable of dramatically strengthening the war and industrial sectors of these states.
From their creation onwards, the Androids have begun to be a part of everyday life of human beings, carrying out tasks often dedicated to them, such as gardening, maintenance, babysitting, but also law enforcement and objects of pleasure, sold in shops as the most normal of goods. The consequences were not long in coming, with unemployment reaching an all-time high and the exponential increase of humans forced to beg on the street. Given their physical and intellectual superiority, but also the zero cost of labor, these are also used in sports and healthcare. The result? A deep-rooted hatred of Androids that has gradually reached racism, with clubs that ban entry, or bus compartments dedicated to them. Everything that happens in the world and the description of the society - utopian or dystopian - created by Cage, we will be able to discover it in the various electronic journals scattered in the game scenes, but also in the news bulletins On TV. How long will this fragile balance hold up?
Three lives
Avoiding any kind of plot-related spoilers, we will find ourselves checking during our adventure three Androids, with a distinctly different history and role in society. We have already got to know them all, thanks to the numerous trailers and gameplay videos that Quantic Dream has released during development. These are Connor, an RK800 model, a prototype programmed to assist human investigators in investigations and equipped with a social module; Land defence, an AX400 model designed to perform household duties; is Markus, model RK-200 also prototype, at the service of the well-known painter Carl Manfred. Equipped with peculiarities that dictate their behavior, interaction, and physical abilities, the three will live their respective stories driven by personal reasons, with their paths destined to intertwine, for better or for worse.
The trademark of Quantic Dream titles is also present in all its simplicity in Detroit: Become Human. The consequentiality with which the scenes will be lived, the alternating rhythm of moments of real tension with others that are extremely touching and exciting, will make us live an experience at the limit of cinematography, and with a much higher level of parts played than previous productions. One of the strongest feelings that, in some ways paradoxically, will hold our hand for the duration of the game, is empathy with the characters: the continuous exchange of information between the personal experiences of the protagonists and the socio-cultural situation inevitably leads the player to identify with them and make very difficult choices with their mind. One of the strongest differences that at a narrative level - and not only - takes the title on another level, is the possibility of lose characters even in the early stages of the game, which will make our decisions and our skills in Quick Time Events even heavier (become more dynamic and with a better reaction time required). Twists? Make sure.
Deviant mechanics
What makes it Detroit: Become Human a title more than avant-garde, it is being able to give the healthy "more of the same", but with incredible additions. Nothing that marks a revolution-miracle within the gameplay, but that manages to exploit to the limit of the already existing mechanics, almost as if this were the video game that from the beginning wanted to be created by Cage and his team. The differences in terms of interaction are many and certainly more far-sighted than what we saw with a Beyond: Two Souls, in many cases abandoning the "corridor" narrative structure and allowing us to choose what to do and when to do it (as always we will not have everything the time of the world, and the stopwatch will often tick inexorably). Although some in-game mechanics have been inspired by several other productions and re-proposed in Quantic Dream sauce, the biggest novelty lies in the Diagram, available for every single scene: in this the whole path made in the chapter will be described with a branched scheme, with every single choice, every single event, and with many empty spaces to mark the variants that have not been revealed. Some events will depend heavily on previous ones, and even the simplest choices can have decisive consequences as the story continues. Never before have we been faced with such an unthinkable amount of implications and variables; translation, the highest replayability of the title ever seen in a title of this genre. Just think that in some cases you might not play whole, macroscopic scenes, based on your previous choices.
Another entirely new mechanic for the Quantic Dream titles - which although in different modes, brings us back with a little deja-vu to Supermassive Games' Until Dawn - is the relationship with the supporting characters: our behavior will heavily affect the reactions of our friends, so much that many situations will be totally upset. Obviously we will not go into details to avoid spoilers.
As already mentioned, our protagonists will have some special skills, which will differentiate the parts played with one or the other in the development, like Connor and his ability to reconstruct, or Markus with his ability to calculate and forecast that will come in handy in the action phases. There are other additions that, although less incisive in terms of gameplay, manage to be a welcome side dish to an experience that makes charisma and narration its greatest pride, for example the inclusion of the use of the touchpad to perform some actions, remembering that this is the first game of the studio developed from the beginning for PlayStation 4. During the gameplay we will be able to change the camera and the point of view simply by pressing R1, enjoying the particular settings from the angle we want. Finally, if we don't want to waste time going around in circles in search of active points, these will be highlighted by holding R2, a function that will also make the current objective appear on the screen.
November Rain
Rain, but mostly a lot of snow. There are many controversial artistic choices adopted in Detroit: Become Human to paint the portrait of the American city. The game environments are changing, with a varied palette of colors very often bright in certain scenes, which alternate with other sequences suffocated by an oppressive grayness, a toxicity that makes the mood saturated with pessimism. Graphically speaking, the title is fascinating in its details, retracing the footsteps of Beyond which had proved to be one of the most avant-garde titles on PlayStation 3 for the aforementioned sector. In addition to an excellent attention to detail, the greatest work has been done on the facial expressions, both humans and androids: very often they will be the ones to push us in one direction rather than another. This swirl of colors and details is accompanied by an excellent sound sector, with a perfectly created soundtrack and with a dubbing team worthy of the great occasions. Undoubtedly the title manages to give its best if played in 4K with PlayStation 4 Pro, but it manages to defend itself very well even on the standard version of Sony's flagship console, without also presenting loading problems or framerate drops.
To close the circle there are some outline features that, in actual fact, are an integral part of the gaming experience that Detroit: Become Human offers us. It will be possible to replay the chapters, although we have just completed them, but the main advice is to enjoy the experience to the full in one breath, to create your story and to try the different aspects only later. In the "Extras" section, unlockable contents will be available with the points obtained in game - you will earn a lot - which include sketch albums, soundtrack, videos, but above all the gallery of characters: through the latter you can admire the 3D models of all the characters - including the citizens - being able to modify the effects that surround them. More importantly, each character in the gallery will have a written part that will tell us who they are, revealing more information about the plot that we did not know about during our playthroughs. We can also access the collection of all magazines we found in the game, and reconstruct the deep background we talked about. Last gem concerning the main menu, it will not be revealed to you.
